Why you should care about picking the right charger for your Google Nexus 5X, 6P, Pixel and Pixel XL

With the new standard in USB-C, we all thought we would have one plug to rule them all. Physically that is coming true with the fully reversible C plug, but there is even more confusion and fragmentation now that Google and other Android manufacturers use two different charging standards. I find the use of two different charging standards to be unfriendly to the consumer and hope Google standardizes this practice quickly. It might even help out Samsung to sort out its charging issues too.

The most popular charging standard you probably have heard of is Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. Instead of going with Qualcomm’s standard, Google implemented the actual USB-C Power Delivery Standard which is different than Qualcomm’s Quick Charge. While both charge faster than basic chargers, you will want to pick the right charger if you want to maximize the charging speed of your devices. You will also probably want a quality brand name that has a wide range reviews too. Some brands that I trust are Anker, Tronsmart, and Aukey.

It’s not exactly natural to think third party cables should matter as they all look and plug in the same. However, cable technology can be the difference between fast charging and frying your device as well.

Quick Charge 3.0

Quick Charge 3.0 employs Intelligent Negotiation for Optimum Voltage (INOV), an algorithm which allows your portable device to determine what power level to request at any point in time, enabling optimum power transfer while maximizing efficiency. It also supports wider voltage options, allowing a mobile device to dynamically adjust to the ideal voltage level supported by that specific device. Specifically, Quick Charge 3.0 offers a more granular range of voltages: 200mV increments, from 3.6V to 20V. That way your phone can target one of dozens of power levels. – Qualcomm

USB Power Delivery

Rather than try to recapitulate a well thought out and written explanation of USB Power Delivery, I’ll point you to the famous Googler Benson Leung who explained it here. Basically the Nexus 5X, 6P, Pixel and Pixel Xl all use USB Power Delivery and you should pick the right charger for your phone as it will ensure 100% compatibility.

The USB Power Delivery Specification enables the maximum functionality of USB by providing more flexible power delivery along with data over a single cable. Its aim is to operate with and build on the existing USB ecosystem. – usb.org

You can use both for charging your devices

Just to be clear, you can use just about any charger for both charging methods. However, if you do not pick the specific charger for USB Power Delivery, you won’t be maximizing your charging speeds on your Nexus 5X, 6P, Pixel and Pixel XL.

For a list of USB Power Delivery specific chargers and cables, I’ve listed several options below.

Fast-Charging Technology: USB-C Power Delivery charges USB-C devices, like the new MacBook, at full speed. In the other ports, PowerIQ intelligently recognizes your device and boosts its charging speed, up to 2.4A per port.*

Five Ports: 1 USB-C port with Power Delivery and 4 standard USB ports with PowerIQ allow simultaneous multi-device charging at high speed.

The Only USB PD Portable Charger Up To 30W: Recharge the 26800mAh battery through the Type-C port in just 4-5 hours (compared to the standard 14 hours); also features 2A and 1A input recharging

Massive 30W Type-C Output: The Type-C output reaches up to 30W that matches the original AC MacBook charger, so you can charge all devices including a MacBook in no time. Note: Type-C cable sold separately

Large Capacity, Multiple Outputs: 26800mAh battery capacity charges an iPhone 6S 10 times, a Samsung S6 6times, or an iPad Air 2 times; contains two 2.4A iSmart ports for a combined 3.4A total

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